More bad news for West Ham as striker Carlton Cole is banged up for drink driving

West Ham striker Carlton Cole was arrested on suspicion of drink driving earlier this week.

Cole was stopped in his £50,000 Audi Q7 for allegedly driving erratically on London's Victoria Embankment, close to Westminster Bridge on Tuesday morning.

The former Chelsea player was given a roadside breath test and arrested before being taken to Belgravia police station where he gave a voluntary blood sample. His fingerprints, photograph and a DNA saliva sample were taken from him. He was then locked in a cell for several hours before being bailed.

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Cole (right) played against Newcastle at the weekend

It is understood Cole's breath-test reading was just over the legal limit of 80milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood.

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A Metropolitan Police spokesman told The Sun: 'At 4.25am on 23 September police pulled over an Audi Q7 on Victoria Embankment.

'A 24-year-old driver was spoken to and arrested on suspicion of driving with excess alcohol. He was taken to a central London police station and later bailed.'

Cole had already been left out of his side's Carling Cup tie against Watford on Tuesday night because of a foot injury.

But Upton Park sources said clean-living new Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola will still be furious he was out at 4.30am.

With West Ham facing the prospect of having to sell their star players to pay Sheffield United £30million compensation over the Carlos Tevez affair, a club insider added: 'This arrest could not have come at a worse time and the boss is sure to be angry.'

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More bad news for West Ham as striker Carlton Cole is held for drink driving